Tape-punching apparatus including a braking device

ABSTRACT

A tape-punching apparatus including a source of tape, a punching mechanism, a drive to draw tape from the source and make the same available in a loop to the punching apparatus, a further drive to transport the thusly looped tape from the loop through the punching device, and detection means which senses the tension in the loop from which tape is driven by the second drive through the punching device. The detection means is effective to actuate the first-mentioned drive to replenish the loop when required. A brake is provided which is responsive to the detection means to apply a braking force to the first-mentioned drive to avoid coasting of the same and thus to avoid an oversupply of tape to the loop.

United States Patent lnventor Howard Satterlee Madeira Beach, Fla.

Appl. No. 816,972

Filed Apr. 17, 1969 Patented Sept. 14, 1971 Assignee New England Merchants National Bank Boston, Mass.

TAPE-PUNCI-IING APPARATUS INCLUDING A BRAKING DEVICE 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 226/25, 226/38, 226/43, 226/13, 226/44 lnt.Cl B65h 23/18 Field of Search 226/38, 43, 25, 1 13, 42

References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 5/1918 Henderson 226/42 Primary Examiner-Allen N. Knowles 4Q2r2 s+ Qbr & Cohen ABSTRACT: A tape-punching apparatus including a source of tape, a punching mechanism, a drive to draw tape from the source and make the same available in a loop to the punching apparatus, a further drive to transport the thusly looped tape from the loop through the punching device, and detection means which senses the tension in the loop from which tape is driven by the second drive through the punching device. The detection means is effective to actuate the first-mentioned drive to replenish the loop when required. A brake is provided which is responsive to the detection means to apply a braking force to the first-mentioned drive to avoid coasting of the same and thus to avoid an oversupply of tape to the loop.

TAPE-PUNCIIING APPARATUS INCLUDING A BRAKING DEVICE BACKGROUND This invention relates generally to tape-processing devices and more particularly to apparatus for punching coded combinations of holes in paper tapes. As will be evident from the description which follows hereinafter, the invention is also applicable to the processing of materials other than paper tapes.

With respect to the operation of a conventional tape punch, a paper tape is normally passed from a supply reel to a tapepuller roller and is passed between the latter and a pressure roller. The tape is then looped over a tape tension lever and thence passes into a punch head. A motor is selectively actuated to drive the tape-puller roller.

The tape tension lever is displaced by the loop when more tape is required to operate a cam which in turn operates a switch controlling the motor. When the loop increases beyond a certain magnitude, the motor is stopped and then coasts to and remains at a standstill until the demand for more paper pulls the tape tension lever to a position whereat it operates through the cam to actuate the switch and start the motor.

The above technique is conventional and works satisfactorily until the paper feed speed must be increased to accommodate modern data processing techniques. In this case, the surging of the motor in starting and the coasting of the motor to a standstill causes an oversupply of paper into the loop and such oversupply has been found detrimental. More particularly, it has been found that an oversize loop results in a drag of such proportions that a paper feed sprocket associated with the punching device can not properly transport the paper which, as a result, tears at the punch.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus in which the aforesaid difficulties are avoided.

It is more particularly an object of the invention to provide an improved tape-processing apparatus in which a tape feed motor is provided with damping.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide improved tape-processing apparatus wherein the withdrawing of tape from a supply reel is employed to control a tape tension arm which in turn controls a motor which withdraws the tape from the supply reel.

To achieve the above and other objectives of the invention there is provided a tape-processing apparatus comprising a source of tape, means such as a punch to operate on the tape and a first drive means to draw tape from the source and make the same available to the first said means. Additionally, a second drive means is provided to transport the thusly drawn tape through the first said means, there being also included detection means sensitive to tension in the tape to actuate the first said drive means. Further, in accordance with a particular feature of the invention, a braking device is provided which is responsive to the detection means to brake the first said drive means.

More particularly, the first said drive means may be constituted by a tape-puller roller in association with which is a pulley which is engaged by a flexible, elongated, shape-retaining member such as a Nylon cord, the tension in which is controlled by the tape tension lever and which acts to release or brake the tape-puller roller.

DRAWING FIG. 1 is a partial side view of a paper-tape-punching apparatus of the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a side view of modifications to be made to the apparatus of F IG. 1 in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the apparatus of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a cordlike member employed in the braking apparatus of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The tape-punching apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 and available in accordance with the prior art comprises a chassis 10 bearing thereon a paper-tape punch die 12 and a papertape-punching device 14 of known construction. The device 14 includes a plurality of pins 16 arranged transversely of the tape and suitable for punching into the tape a coded combination of holes representing data to be recorded upon the tape. A supply reel 18 of paper tape is mounted such as, for example, by an arm 20 on the chassis 10. The supply reel 18 is a source of paper tape 22 of conventional dimensions and material which follows a path beneath a roller 24 through a guide 26 around a guide 28 and between a tape-puller roller 30 and a pressure roller 32. The tape-puller roller is driven by a motor 34 which drives a shaft 36 connected to the roller.

The tape 22 passes into a loop 38, the geometrical extent of which is limited by a tape guard section 40. The tape 22 then passes under the punch device 14 whereat it is operated upon by pins 16 and is then engaged by a tape-feed sprocket wheel 42 which engages in conventional sprocket holes provided in the tape body. The tape then passes out of the apparatus through a guide device 44.

The motor 34 is controlled by a switch 46 including a fixed contact 48 and a displaceable contact 50 mounted on a resilient lever 52. Resilient lever 52 has a curved extremity 54 which is engaged by a cam 56.

The cam 56 is provided with a depression 58 and inasmuch as the cam 56 is rotatable the depression 58 can be brought into alignment with extremity 54 of lever 52. When so aligned, the extremity 54 presses into the depression 58 bringing contacts 48 and 50 into engagement and closing an electrical circuit which supplies power to the motor 34.

A tape tension lever 60 is coupled to the cam 56 through the intermediary of a rotatable nut 62, the lever 60 being engaged in a diametral slot provided in an end face of the nut. The extremity 64 of the tape tension lever 60 is arranged at a right angle to this lever and thus transversely relative to the movement oftape 22.

The pressure roller 32 is mounted on a lever 66 pivoted on a pin 68 to which is connected a lever 70. One end of the lever 70 is engaged by spring 72 affixed by pin 74 to the chassis 10. This combination of levers 66 and 70 operates to urge the tape against tape-puller roller 30 so that actuation of motor 34 drives tape 22 into the loop 38.

The arrangement of the above components is such that when a certain amount of tape has been drawn from loop 38 through punching device 14, lever 60 will be drawn to the left in the direction indicated by arrow 76. This in turn will pivot cam 56 and will bring depression 58 thereon into registration with extremity 54 of lever 52. As a result contacts 48 and 50 will be brought into engagement and motor 34 will be actu ated. Roller 30 will thereupon draw additional tape from reel 18 and will displace such tape into loop 38. The tape displaced into loop 38 will then have been made available for being driven through the punching device 14 by means of sprocket wheel 42.

In the previously known operation, the motor 34 and shaft 36 would upon an opening of contact 48 and 50 coast to a stop. Where high speeds of paper supply are involved, this means that sometimes a superabundance of tape could be made available to loop 38. It has been found that this in turn disturbs the operation of punching device 14 in association with sprocket wheel 42 to the extent that the tape binds and tears in the vicinity of device 14.

It has now been found, in accordance with the invention, that such undesirable results can be avoided by damping the operation of the motor 34 and the coasting to a standstill of the shaft 36. It has also been found that this operation can and should be performed under the control of the lever 60. FIGS. 2-4 illustrate how the improvements of the invention are realized and in these figures the same reference characters are employed as have been employed relative to FIG. 1.

Specifically, there is mounted on the shaft 36 of tape-puller roller 30 a brake pulley 80 provided with a peripheral annular groove 82. The pulley 80 is affixed to shaft 36 and is thus affixed to the roller 30.

A cord 84 is accommodated in groove 82 and constitutes the element by which friction is applied to the pulley 80 to cause braking of the rotation of roller 30 when the motor 34 is cut off from its source of power.

One end 86 of cord 84 is connected to an adjustable support 88. The other end 90 of cord 84 is connected to cam 56. More particularly, cam 56 is provided with a slot 92, there being a pin 94 extending axially through the cam and through the slot and engaging in an eye 96 formed by a loop in the end of cord 84. Such loop is fixedly maintained by means of a crimped ferrule 98. The other end 86 of the cord is likewise provided with a loop 100 maintained by a crimped ferrule 102 by means of which loop engagement is made with the adjustable support 88 which is mounted on the chassis 10.

From what has been described above, it can be seen that when the cam 56 is rotated to operate contacts 48 and 50 (FIG. 1), it also operates to pull one end of cord 84 which is passed around pulley 80 in a diverging U-shaped bend. This action functions to apply a frictional force against pulley 80 and to brake the same. The braking of the pulley 80 is simultaneously effective on shaft 36 as well as on roller 30.

The position of the pin 94 and the depression 58 in cam 56 is such that when depression 58 is engaged by extremity 54 of lever 52 the brake affect of cord 84 is released. When cam 56 is, however, rotated to separate contacts 48 and 50, the braking affect of cord 84 with respect to pulley 80 is increased. Thus as power is cut off from motor 34 the braking of cord 84 is initiated and shaft 36 and thereby roller 30 are immediately brought to a standstill.

The result of the above improvement of the invention is that there is eliminated all coasting of the roller 30 which might otherwise supply into the loop 38 (FIG. 1) a superabundance of tape which in turn would result in such additional drag as would interfere with the operation of passing the tape through the punching device 14.

What is claimed is:

1. A tape-processing apparatus comprising a source of said tape, means to operate on said tape, first drive means to draw tape from said source and make the same available to the first said means in the form of a loop, second drive means to drive tape from the loop through the first said means, detection means sensitive to tension on the tape driven by said second drive means from said loop to actuate said first drive means, and brake means responsive to aid detection means to brake said first drive means, said detection means including a tension arm engaging the tape between the first and second drive means, a cam pivoted by said arm in accordance with the amount of tape available between said drive means, and a switch actuated by said cam, said brake means being coupled to and controlled by said cam.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first drive means includes a drive roller and a pressure roller sandwiching the tape therebetween and a shaft for driving said drive roller, said brake means including a flexible elongated shape-retaining member coupled at one end to said cam and a support to which the other end of the member is connected, said member being in looped engagement with said shaft, said cam controlling the tightness of said looped engagement.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, comprising a brake pulley on said shaft and provided with an annular peripheral groove therein to accommodate said member.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the cam is a disclike member provided with a peripheral slot accommodating the first said end of the member and including a pin extending axially through the cam and through the slot to anchor the member in the latter.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the support is an adjustable element to adjust the effective length of the member.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the member is a Nylon cord having loops in the opposite ends thereof, comprising crimped ferrules maintaining the loops in the cord.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the member is maintained in diverging U-shaped loop. 

1. A tape-processing apparatus comprising a source of said tape, means to operate on said tape, first drive means to draw tape from said source and make the same available to the first said means in the form of a loop, second drive means to drive tape from the loop through the first said means, detection means sensitive to tension on the tape driven by said second drive means from said loop to actuate said first drive means, and brake means responsive to aid detection means to brake said first drive means, said detection means including a tension arm engaging the tape between the first and second drive means, a cam pivoted by said arm in accordance with the amount of tape available between said drive means, and a switch actuated by said cam, said brake means being coupled to and controlled by said cam.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first drive means includes a drive roller and a pressure roller sandwiching the tape therebetween and a shaft for driving said drive roller, said brake means including a flexible elongated shape-retaining member coupled at one end to said cam and a support to which the other end of the member is connected, said member being in looped engagement with said shaft, said cam controlling the tightness of said looped engagement.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, comprising a brake pulley on said shaft and provided with an annular peripheral groove therein to accommodate said member.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the cam is a disclike member provided with a peripheral slot accommodating the first said end of the member and including a pin extending axially through the cam and through the slot to anchor the member in the latter.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the support is an adjustable element to adjust the effective length of the member.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the member is a Nylon cord having loops in the opposite ends thereof, comprising crimped ferrules maintaining the loops in the cord.
 7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the member is maintained in diverging U-shaped loop. 